Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, overall and by C-reactive protein categories
| Characteristic | Overall, N = 84 399 |
C-reactive protein level < 2 mg/L, n = 34 526 (41%) |
C-reactive protein level ≥ 2–20 mg/L, n = 49 873 (59%) |
SMD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-reactive protein in mg/L; median [Q1–Q3] | 2.0 [1.0, 5.4] | 0.9 [0.9, 1.0] | 4.9 [3.0, 9.0] | 1.70 |
| Age in years; mean [SD] | 71 [13] | 69 [13] | 72 [13] | 0.25 |
| Men | 45 840 (54%) | 19 742 (57%) | 26 098 (52%) | −0.09 |
| Time since ASCVD | ||||
| <6 months | 12 800 (15%) | 5322 (15%) | 7478 (15%) | −0.01 |
| ≥6 months to <2 years | 41 407 (49%) | 17 318 (50%) | 24 089 (48%) | −0.03 |
| 2 to <5 years | 20 861 (25%) | 8138 (24%) | 12 723 (26%) | 0.04 |
| ≥5 years | 9331 (11%) | 3748 (11%) | 5583 (11%) | 0.01 |
| Haemoglobin in g/dL (n = 79 410) | 135 [16] | 137 [15] | 133 [17] | 0.28 |
| LDL cholesterol in mmol/L (n = 52 966) | 2.52 [1.01] | 2.42 [0.98] | 2.60 [1.03] | 0.17 |
| eGFR categories | ||||
| ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 66 380 (79%) | 29 000 (84%) | 37 380 (75%) | −0.18 |
| ≥30 to ≤59 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 16 158 (19%) | 5111 (15%) | 11 047 (22%) | 0.19 |
| ≤30 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 1861 (2.2%) | 415 (1.2%) | 1446 (2.9%) | 0.12 |
| Albuminuria categories | ||||
| <30 mg/g | 40 831 (48%) | 17 899 (52%) | 22 932 (46%) | −0.11 |
| 30–300 mg/g | 10 643 (13%) | 3739 (11%) | 6904 (14%) | 0.09 |
| >300 mg/g | 5087 (6.0%) | 1593 (4.6%) | 3494 (7.0%) | 0.10 |
| Missing | 27 838 (33%) | 11 295 (33%) | 16 543 (33%) | 0.00 |
| Comorbid conditions | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 18 735 (22%) | 6496 (19%) | 12 239 (25%) | 0.14 |
| Hypertension | 58 246 (69%) | 22 262 (64%) | 35 984 (72%) | 0.17 |
| Myocardial infraction | 31 442 (37%) | 13 813 (40%) | 17 629 (35%) | −0.10 |
| CABG | 3137 (3.7%) | 1221 (3.5%) | 1916 (3.8%) | −0.02 |
| PCI | 15 171 (18%) | 7757 (22%) | 7414 (15%) | 0.01 |
| Angina | 24 998 (30%) | 10 848 (31%) | 14 150 (28%) | −0.07 |
| Heart failure | 14 646 (17%) | 4298 (12%) | 10 348 (21%) | 0.22 |
| Stroke/TIA | 36 088 (43%) | 14 218 (41%) | 21 870 (44%) | 0.05 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 9427 (11%) | 2936 (8.5%) | 6491 (13%) | 0.15 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 17 005 (20%) | 5498 (16%) | 11 507 (23%) | 0.18 |
| Rheumatoid disease | 9776 (12%) | 2997 (8.7%) | 6779 (14%) | 0.16 |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 15 356 (18%) | 5197 (15%) | 10 159 (20%) | 0.14 |
| Recent Cancer (3-years) | 10 722 (13%) | 3674 (11%) | 7048 (14%) | 0.11 |
| Recent anaemia (1-year) | 27 988 (33%) | 9119 (26%) | 18 869 (38%) | 0.25 |
| Dyslipidaemia | 60 951 (72%) | 27 069 (78%) | 33 882 (68%) | −0.24 |
| Ongoing medications | ||||
| Antiplatelets | 54 998 (65%) | 23 967 (69%) | 31 031 (62%) | −0.15 |
| ACEIs/ARBs | 45 730 (54%) | 18 739 (54%) | 26 991 (54%) | −0.00 |
| MRAs | 4873 (5.8%) | 1507 (4.4%) | 3366 (6.7%) | 0.10 |
| β-Blockers | 44 017 (52%) | 17 808 (52%) | 26 209 (53%) | 0.02 |
| SGLT-2 inhibitors | 705 (0.8%) | 297 (0.9%) | 408 (0.8%) | −0.00 |
| Diuretics | 21 020 (25%) | 6119 (18%) | 14 901 (30%) | 0.29 |
| Calcium channel blockers | 22 681 (27%) | 8678 (25%) | 14 003 (28%) | 0.07 |
| Statins/PCSK-9i, Ezetimibe (LLT) | 49 809 (59%) | 22 864 (66%) | 26 945 (54%) | 0.25 |
| High intensity LLT | 17 981 (36.1%) | 8909 (40%) | 9072 (33%) | −0.17 |
| Moderate intensity LLT | 29 435 (59.1%) | 12 582 (56%) | 16 853 (62%) | 0.14 |
| Low intensity LLT | 2393 (4.8%) | 995 (4%) | 1398 (5%) | 0.03 |
| NSAIDs | 10 328 (12%) | 3831 (11%) | 6497 (13%) | 0.06 |
ACEIs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; ARBs, angiotensin II receptor blockers; ASCVD, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; CABG, coronary artery bypass graft; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; LLT, lipid-lowering treatment; MRAs, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; PCSK-9i, pro-protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors; SD, standard deviation; SGLT-2, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2; SMD, standardized mean difference; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.